Installation

To install a typical optical drive the locking device must be removed first by turning the lock in the center and pulling it straight out. After removing the appropriate bay cover slide the drive in front and line it up evenly with the front bezel. The screw holes on the drive should be visible through the holes in the drive cage. Insert the locking device into the screw holes, pushing it against the cage, then turn the lock.


The process is the same for the hard drives. Simply remove the locking device, line up the drive, replace the clip and lock it in place. Users that like to install their hard drives backwards to reduce cable clutter will be able to do so here, although only one pin from the locking device will line up with a screw hole.


To prepare the case for motherboard installation, the stamped I/O shield may need to be removed and replaced with the proprietary one for the motherboard. Any extra PCI plates that need to be removed should be done so at this point as well.

The motherboard tray includes several built-in standoffs, as well as other holes for normal screw-in standoffs. I have seen cases where the built-in standoffs have caused issues, so be aware of the possibility when installing the motherboard.


The motherboard installed easily enough, and the graphics card was locking in place with the tool-less clip by squeezing the clip and sliding it toward the card. The wires for the front panel seemed barely long enough to reach the audio connector on the motherboard, and if the board uses something like the Karajan audio module on the DFI boards it may not reach at all. The hard drive installation was simple enough, and the area was clear with a little bit of cable management.